A computer database enables large amounts of electronic information to be organized in a logical manner. Such logical organization enables the computer database to quickly and efficiently return such information, or at a least a portion thereof, in response to a query received from a requesting system. The requesting system may then use the information returned from the database to facilitate a process executed by the system.
Service providers such as airlines are known to utilize such databases to assist users in planning a trip. In particular, when a trip is in the process of being planned, a user may have only developed a general idea of the trip and not the specifics. For example, a user may desire to travel to a destination with warm weather during the winter, but be unsure of a specific destination or dates. Consequently, systems have been developed to assist the user by providing travel suggestions based on the user's generalized trip preferences. Upon receiving the user's trip preferences, the systems search a database for travel suggestions that match the provided trip preferences.
The above systems commonly utilize a graphical user interface (“GUI”) to receive the user's trip parameters. The GUI typically includes multiple fields, each being dedicated to a predetermined type of trip parameter. For example, one field may be dedicated to receiving a preferred budget, and another field may be dedicated to receiving a preferred date range. Each of the fields also includes a predefined format in which the associated trip parameter must be entered. In this way, the GUI limits the type and format of trip parameters that may be received from a user and searched in the database.
Improved systems, methods, and computer program products are needed for implementing a free-text search database that facilitates providing travel suggestions based on free-text searches.